Ignition apparatus



IGNITION APPARATUS Filed April 27, 1931 Jblm 7." F1 lzsimmans Patented Sept. 26, 1933 PATENT OFFICE 1,928,221 IGNITION APPARATUS John T. Fitzsimmons, Anderson, Ind., assignor to Delco-Remy Corporation, Anderson, Ind., a corporation of Delaware Application April 27, 1931. Serial No. 533,182

11 Claims. (Cl. 123-148) This invention relates to an ignition apparatus for internal combustion engines and more particularly to the rotary cylinder radial type engines, in which radially, arranged cylinders rotate about the crank shaft.

One object of thepresent invention is to simplify, and therefore reduce the cost of manufac ture of ignition apparatus for radial engines, particular attention being paid to simplification of the electrical connections of the various spark plugs of the rotating cylinders.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein a preferred embodiment of one form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawing:

The figure of the drawing is a diagrammatic illustration of an ignition system embodying the present invention. The engine 20, is shown diagrammatically as having three cylinders 21 attachedto a-case 22 which engine and case are 7 rotatable about the axis of a stationary crank 23 The cylinders 21 revolve about the crank shaft 23 as a center, and the pistons within the cylinders make one complete reciprocation within the cylinders for each revolution ofthe cylinder. Two complete revolutions of the cylinders are required to complete a cycle of operation of the engine in each and all of the cylinders as ciple; Eachfcylinder is provided with a spark V is well known in engines of the four cycle prinplug 24 having a grounded electrode electrically connected with a metallic engine frame forming a ground connection as at 25. An explosion occurs in each cylinder when its respective piston substantially reaches the top' of its compression stroke. For an eflicient operation of an engine having a' plurality of cylinders operated on the four cycle principle, the explosion must occur in alternate cylinders and the firing order of the engine for counter clockwise rotation, as illustrated diagrammatically in the drawing, will be 13-,'2. To get a sparking impulse within each of the cylinders 21, the'in sulated electrode of the spark plu'g 24 provides a'termi'nal 26'that re- 'volvespast and in close proximity to a stationary segment-'27 permitting sparking impulse to jump the gap between the element 26 and the segment 27, or the terminal 26 'may be such thatit will wipe the segment 2'7- thereby actually conducting the sparking impulses from the segment 2'7.

The engine 20,illustrated in the drawing, operatesa gear 28 that meshes with a gear 29 four times the pitch diameter of the gear 28, that are 41' and 42 that are adapted to act as a conductor for current passing from primary windings to their respective levers and that urge the levers 33 and 34 toward the cam 31. These springs maintain the respective movable stationary'contacts in engagement until the cam 31 operates the levers 33 and 34 to separate the contacts. The contacts 37 and 38 are grounded as at 43 while the terminals 39 and 40 are connected by wires or leads and 46, respectively, to primary windings 47 and 48 of ignition coils 49 and 50 respectively. The primary windings 4'7 and 48 are connected to a terminal 51 that is connected by a wire 52 to a terminal 53. The terminal 53 is connected by a suitable switch 54 with a battery 55 grounded at 56. Condensers 57 and 58 grounded at 59 and 60, respectively, are connected with wires 45 and 46, respectively, and are thus connected across the contacts 35, 37, and 36, 38 respectively.

The segment 27 is connected by a wire 61 to a center terminal 62 of the distributor 32. A

distributor conductor arm or rotor63 that is rotatable in unison with the cam 31, is electrically connected with the center terminal 62 and is successively brought into conducting relation with any one of a series of stationary posts-64. The posts 64 are equally spaced apart on an arc within the distributor 32, the angular distance between the posts 64 being equal to one half the angular spacing of the cylinders 21 of the engine The coils 49 and 50 are provided withsecondary windings 65 and 66 respectively, each secondary winding being connected with several, alternating ones, of the posts 64. The coil 65 is connected with distributor posts 64 that are designated by A, C and E, while the coil 66 is connected with the posts 64 that are designated by B, D and F. The parts are so timed that, when the rotor 63 is adjacent to the posts 64 represented by letters A, C and E, the'movable contact 35 will be separated from the stationary contact 37 due to a lobe of the cam 31 moving the lever 33, a sparking impulse generated in the coil and conducted to the rotor 62 will thence be conducted to the respective plug 24 of the engine cylinder by the wire 61. Whenever a sparking impulse is generated in the coil 65, the coil will be connected with either of the contacts 63A, C andE. Similarly, whenever the rotor 63 is adjacent to either of the posts 643, D and F the movable contact 36 will be separated from the stationary contact 38 causing a sparking impulse to be generated in the coil 66 then conducted to the rotor 63, which distributes the im pulse to either of the posts 64B, D and F whenever the sparking impulse is generated in'the coil 66. It is evident that foreach rotation of the shaft 30, since the cam 31 and rotor 63 are rotated in unison therewith, that six sparking.

impulses will be generated alternately by the two ignition coils 65 and 66, and that these sparking impulses will be received by the rotor 63 when it passes the distributor posts 64 and operates to conduct them to the segment 27.

Thus, when the engine 20 rotates four times about the shaft 23 which is four times the speed of the shaft 30, there will be six sparking impulses that are required for three cylinder radial engines operating on the four cycle principle. In other words, when the engine 20 is rotated 240 in a counter-clockwise direction, as indicated by the arrow-70, the-shaft 30 and its attendant structure, rotor 63; will move 60 in a clockwise direction, as indicated by the arrow .71, through the. ratio of gears 28 and 29. An electrical connection with one of the posts 64 is hereby made, and at the same time one of the lobes of the cam 31 will cause one of the movable contacts of the breaker levers to be separated from its respective stationary contact that causes a sparking impulse at the gap of the spark plug 24 of that cylinder adjacent the segment 2'7.

It should be understood that the present inventlon is not limited in its application to engines operating on the four-cycle principle, but

may be applied to engines operating on the twocycle principle. Thus, for engines operating on the two cycle principle, the shaft 30 would then carry a gear, meshing with the gear 28, twice the pitch diameter of thegear 28 so as to rotate the shaft 30 twice as fast as would thegear 29 illustrated in the drawing. In other words, the shaft 30 operated by an-engine of two-cycle principle, the shaft 30 Will make one-half of a revolution for each revolution of the engine about its axis or shaft 23 Therefore, for each two. complete revolutions of the engine about the shaft 23 and one complete revolution of theshaft i0 there will be provided six sparking impulses which are required for a three cylinder radial engine operating on the two-cycle principle.

It is also to be understood that the present invention is not limited in its application to the ferred form, it is to be understood that other.

forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows: 7 1. An ignition apparatus for a radial rotating internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders, comprising in combination; a current source; spark plugs attached to each cylinder and having a terminal; a plurality of induction coils; a cam having lobes equal in number to the numberof engine cylinders; a stationary segment past which the terminals move; and means for distributing a sparking impulse, said means operating to produce a sparking impulse to the cylinders every other time their terminals pass the stationary segment.

2. An ignition apparatus for a radial rotating internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders, comprising in combination; spark plugs attached respectively to the cylinders and each having a terminal; a stationary segment past which the terminals revolve; a sparking impulse generating means comprising a current source, a plurality of induction coils, circuit interrupters for connecting the coils with the current source, and a cam for operating the interrupters alternately; means for operating the cam; and means operable upon engine rotation cooperating with said cam causing a sparking impulse to a cylinder. on alternate engagement of the terminal for said cylinder with said stationary segment.

3. An ignition apparatus for a radial rotating internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders, comprising in combination; a current. source; spark plugs attached to each cylinder and having a terminal; a plurality of induction coils; a stationary segment; a distributor having twice the number or stationary contacts as engine cylinders; a rotor conductor for connecting the contacts with the segment; a plurality of circuit ating the cam and the rotor at one-fourth engine speed; and means to conduct a sparking impulse to the cylinder prepared for firing.

4. An ignition apparatus for a radial rotating internal combustion engine having a plurality.

of cylinders, comprising in combination; a current source; a plurality of induction coils; a cam having lobes equal in number of engine cylinders; circuit interrupters for connecting the-coils with the current source; a rotor; a distributor having, contacts equal to twice the number of engine cylinders; a plurality of cylinder terminals a stationary segment past which the terminals revolve; and'means for operating the cam and the rotor at one-fourth engine speed connecting the, distributor contacts andthe rotor in regular sequence to conduct a sparking impulse to a cylinder on alternate engagement of the terminal for said cylinder with said stationary segment.

5. An ignition apparatus for a radialrotatinginternal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders, comprising in combination; a current source; spark plugs attached to-the cylindersanrl each plug having a terminal; a plurality of induction coils; a distributor having stationary COR-z; tacts and a rotor conductor for. connecting the contacts; a plurality of circuit interrupters; a cam havinglobes equal in number of engine cylinders to actuate the circuit interrupters alternately; and means for'opera-ting thecam and the,

rotor. in unison, the rotor being electrically connected with the stationary segment to conduct a sparking impulse to a cylinder conditioned for firing when the proper terminal passes the segment.

6. An ignition apparatus for a radial, rotating internal combustion engine having a number of cylinders, comprising in combination; spark plugs attached respectively to the cylinders and each having a terminal; a stationary segment past which the terminals rotate; means operable upon engine rotation for distributing a sparking impulse to a cylinder on every other revolution of said cylinder and when the said spark plug terminal is adjacent the segment.

'1. An ignition apparatus for internal combustion engines having a plurality of cylinders, comprising in combination; terminals for the cylinders; a contact adapted to cooperate with said terminals; a current source; a plurality of induction coils; circuit interrupter for connecting the coils with said current source, means for operating the interrupters alternately; and means operable upon rotation of said engine cooperating with said interrupters to distribute sparking impulses to the cylinder upon alternate engagement of their terminals with said contact.

8. An ignition apparatus for a radial rotating internal combustion engine having an odd number of cylinders, comprising in combination; a plurality of interrupters; means for operating said interrupters alternately; a current source; an ignition coil; a stationary terminal, a terminal for each cylinder; and means distributing sparking impulses to the cylinders every other time their terminals pass said stationary terminal.

9. An ignition apparatus for a radio rotating internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders, comprising in combination; spark plugs attached respectively to the cylinders and each having a terminal; a segment adjacent to which spark gap terminals pass as the cylinders rotate about the engine axis or shaft; sparking impulse V generating means; a distributor comprising a center terminal connected with said segment and having posts connected with the spark generating means and arranged in a circular row concentric,

with the center terminal and numbering twice the number of engine cylinders; a rotor for connecting the center terminal with the posts; means for turning the rotor at the rate of one-half revolution for each engine cycle; and means for causing a sparking impulse to be generated whenever the rotor passes adjacent to a distributor post.

10. An ignition apparatus for a radio rotating internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders, comprising in combination; spark plugs attached respectively to the cylinders and each having a terminal; a segment adjacent to which spark gap terminals pass as the cylinders rotate about the engine axis or shaft; a distributor comprising a center terminal connected with said seg' ment and having posts arranged in a circular row concentric with the center terminal and numbering twice the number of engine cylinders; alternately operated sparking impulse generating devices connected respectively with alternate distributor posts; a rotor for connecting the center terminal with the posts; means for turning the rotor at the rate of one-half revolution for each engine cycle; and means for causing a sparking impulse to be generated whenever the rotor passes adjacent to a distributor post.

11. An ignition apparatus for a radial rotating internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders, comprising in combination; a current source; a pair of ignition coils; a cam having cam lobes equal to the number of engine cylinders and adapted to be rotated at one-half engine cycle speed; circuit interrupters for connecting the coils with the current source; spark plugs attached respectively to the cylinders and each having a terminal; a segment adjacent to which spark gap terminals pass as the cylinders rotate about the engine shaft; a distributor comprising a center terminal connected with said segment and having posts arranged in a circular row concentric with a 

